UPMC to buy MedExpress urgent care centers locations
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — UPMC is expanding its footprint across the region.
The health care giant is taking over the operations of several MedExpress locations. Starting next year, several locations will be under the control of UPMC.
What is MedExpress?
MedExpress locations help when you need to get some care quickly, but don't quite need the emergency room.
For the most part, most insurances are accepted. KDKA-TV asked Point Park University Professor Dr. Archish Maharaja about what UPMC taking over could mean. UPMC plans to have its UPMC Urgent Care and UPMC Express Care become UPMC-GoHealth Urgent Care. That will start running several MedExpresses around the region.
"With the MedExpress, they were accepting any and all insurance," Dr. Archish Maharaja said.
UPMC says most major insurances — such as UPMC Health Plan, Highmark, Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare, Medicare and Medicaid — will be accepted.
Dr. Maharaja said that is a win for patients, who won't have to pay an out-of-market rate and have a window to potentially access more services.
"The benefit to the patient will be access to the huge health care system, which will have all the different services available," Dr. Maharaja said.
UPMC said this move will allow for vulnerable communities to have access to lower-cost, high-quality care outside of an emergency room setting. UPMC plans to bring more services to communities that need them.
As for cost, Dr. Maharaja says that there shouldn't be a change if at all.
"They should not see any difference. For the patience, with the insurance they have, that's the copay they are going to have. That's the deductible they are going to have," Dr. Maharaja said.
For the time being, MedExpress, UPMC Urgent Care and UPMC Express Care locations will still run under their current names.
